The Election Commission of India (ECI) is implementing a new technology-driven system to provide faster and more accurate updates on voter turnout trends. This initiative, known as the Voter Turnout Ratio (VTR), will be integrated into the ECINET app, enabling Presiding Officers (PROs) at each polling station to directly enter voter turnout data every two hours on polling day.

The revamped process aims to significantly reduce the time lag associated with previous manual reporting methods. Previously, voter turnout data was collected manually by sector officers and relayed to Returning Officers (ROs) via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps. This information was then aggregated every two hours and uploaded to the Voter Turnout (VTR) App. This often led to delays of up to 4-5 hours or more, with updates sometimes arriving only late at night or the following day, causing confusion and misperceptions among the public.

Under the new system, Presiding Officers will now directly input turnout figures into the ECINET app every two hours during polling day. After the close of the polls, final turnout figures will be entered at the polling station itself before the PROs depart. Data will be automatically compiled and updated on the VTR App every two hours. In areas with poor mobile connectivity, data can be entered offline and synced once the network is available.

The ECI has stated that PROs will now enter final voter turnout data into ECINET immediately after polls close, before leaving the polling station. This aims to eliminate late-night or next-day updates and ensure that approximate vote percentages are publicly available soon after the close of polls, subject to network availability. Where mobile connectivity is weak or unavailable, the data can be stored offline and synchronized later once the network is restored.

This updated VTR App will become an integral part of ECINET before the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The ECI hopes that by automating this process through the ECINET app, polling data will now be more accurate and timely, improving transparency and reinforcing public trust in the electoral process.

The Commission reiterated that while the approximate trends shown in the VTR App are for public awareness, the official and final data will continue to be based on Form 17C. Under the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 (Rule 49S), Presiding Officers (PROs) are legally required to provide Form 17C -- a record of votes cast -- to polling agents at the close of voting. While this statutory provision remains unchanged, the ECI has overhauled the parallel, non-statutory system used to provide approximate voter turnout data through the Voter Turnout (VTR) App.

Officials said the new system is designed to address concerns over voter turnout figures, offering a tamper-proof, time-stamped entry process and real-time synchronisation - minimising discrepancies between on-ground turnout and reported figures. By centralising all data flows into ECINET, the Commission aims to deliver faster, cleaner, and more trustworthy electoral data.